In 1979, at the age of 25, Michael McCarty founded Michael’s Santa Monica, a restaurant credited as an early pioneer of California cuisine with its market-driven plates that utilize local produce and hyper-seasonal ingredients. Throughout the years, Michael has spearheaded the restaurant’s evolution, bringing in a veritable who’s who of culinary talent that includes current chef Job Carder, as well as opening chef Jonathan Waxman, Nancy Silverton, Brooke Williamson, Sang Yoon, Mark Peel, Miles Thompson among others; and along the way, he authored Welcome to Michael’s: Great Food, Great People, Great Party!, which received a 2008 James Beard Foundation Cookbook award nomination in the entertaining category.
Longtime classic offers Michael McCarty’s upscale Californian cuisine in an art-filled room. Based on 265 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.2 stars. Price $$$
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ Takeout ✔️ No delivery
Address:
1147 3rd St, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: (310) 451-0843
Website:
Social Profile: 
Hours
| Friday |
4–9 PM |
| Saturday |
4–9 PM |
| Sunday |
Closed |
| Monday
(Labor Day)
|
Closed |
| Tuesday |
4–9 PM |
| Wednesday |
4–9 PM |
| Thursday |
4–9 PM |
Menu
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Menu Photos
Photo Gallery
Order and Reservations
Reservations: michaelssantamonica.comresy.com
Reviews
P Cee
A very happy accidental discovery after we’d been elsewhere nearby at a place that simply did not want us to be there.
Rob Lourey
Excellent service, (thanks Tiffany!), great cocktails, tasty food and a well priced wine list in a lovely al fresco setting. A perfect Santa Monica dinner location. Thank you.
Kara Ng
Our waiter was very kind and patient with our large group, which we appreciated. I thought the food was very mediocre for the price, but it was acceptable. We sat outside and the tables were covered in twigs, leaves, and bugs. That’s fine given that it’s outdoor seating, but I wish the staff could have cleaned it before we sat down as it was slightly unappetizing to have dead insects on our plates.
Akash Shah
Limited Vegetarian options. Ordered the Brussels Sprouts and Roasted cauliflower and tasted similar as they had the same sauce.
Chef Avinash Kapoor
Michael’s has been around for 43 years or so. I have been going to dine there thru the 4 decades nev we have i had a bad dinner. This times was exceptionally awesome. European white asparagus, Duck confitt, 28 day dry aged rib eye and cheese course. Paired great with Rudd wines. Service was impecible.im looking forward to my next visit
Kiera K
Stumbled upon this happy hour after hitting up all the “trendy” bars in Santa Monica. We found it to be a fantastic deal and would return. Their special drinks for the day were delicious and the food was good for the value. This place is deceptively massive inside (we sat on the patio) which is why I assume service can be slow at times.
Dan Gonzalez
The best meal and dining experience of my life.
Mimi Todorova
Extraordinary!!!
Jillian Quinn
We went to Michael’s for the Valentines dinner, and I can honestly say it was the worst meal and service I’ve ever had. I never write reviews, but I am so disappointed by how much we spent ($350+) for the quality of the food and service. After sitting down, it took 40 minutes to get our first drinks, which were only beers on tap. We didn’t get our first appetizer until 1.5hrs after sitting – I was starving, it was 8:15pm by that point. The duck confit was cold and dry, really just not good. We got our dinner about 2/2.5hrs later, and the food again was only fair. We had prepaid for dessert, but we had been there over 3hrs and finally just asked for the dessert to go. Nothing was comped, they didn’t reduce our bill or bring us any extra drinks/snacks – they just kept saying “sorry we’re backed up.” Just really annoying how much we paid for this kind of food and service. Don’t recommend and will not return 🙁
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Ardeshir Fahramand
Michael’s used to be such a great resturant. I used to
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